The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has decried the worsening economic situation in Nigeria.
Atiku said he enjoys creating opportunities for others and making people rich.
The former Vice President, who spoke on Tuesday at the presidential economic agenda forum of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), said “Nigeria is being dressed in borrowed robes”.
Atiku said amid the country’s dwindling economy, he will work with the private sector to revive the economy.
“They are important for any sector or economy to succeed,” he said. “I enjoy making people rich. I feel fulfiled when I make opportunities for others.”
Atiku lamented the rate of unemployment under the All Progressives Congress-led government, saying the number of “unemployed people (in Nigeria) is more than the population of Lagos state or the inhabitants of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abia, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ebonyi, Kwara and Nasarawa states combined.”
He decried that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has “consistently run on a budget deficit since 2015” when it came to power.
According to him, the per capita income of citizens has drastically reduced from what it was in 2015.
He said, “The oil and gas sector, which is the economy’s lifeline has suffered a decline in 19 out of 30 quarters since 2014. For many economic sectors and ordinary citizens, it still feels like a recession.
“Under the present administration, our people are not working. More than 23 million people are out of jobs.
“In just five years between 2015 and 2020, the number of fully employed people dropped by 54 percent, from 68 million to 31 million people.”
“What is even more worrisome is that the majority of the unemployed are young men and women, who lack not only the means to survive but any hope for the future.
“The number of unemployed youths increased by 9 million from 4 million in 2015 to 13 million in 2020.
“Nigeria is broke. Nigeria under the APC-led government has consistently run on budget deficits since it came to power in 2015,” he said.
The former Vice President described the task of running Nigeria as a daunting challenge, adding that its “enormity should not be downplayed”.
He, however, added that he has a “good grasp of the challenges bedevilling Nigeria”.
“I know the root causes of our problems. I know that many of these problems are self-inflicted and can be reversed if we are determined. And we are determined,” he added.
